You're heading to the airport for a long haul flight - what have you done to prepare by the night before?

[newyorknewyorkforevernewyork]

Its you and one young kid.

I'm thinking:
Passports ready
Visas ready
Suitcase packed, clothes ironed and ready
Multiple alarms set all around the house

...

@newyorknewyorkforevernewyork
Yeah i see it i did not pick up on that lol.
Now im green with envi.

Re sim and phone. It really depends where you're going. Some add ons to your normal contract are ridiculously expensive. I used airolo in India...very easy and much cheaper than adding to my contract.

Make sure everything is charged and put charging cable in hand luggage.

My list includes headphones, if economy i take eye mask and toothbrush but not if included.
I like to take a spare pashmina for warmth.
I double check tickets, boarding pass, visa etc.
My hand baggage is actually really streamlined now

Ooo essential medicine but I always pack travel sickness tabs, diarrhoea tabs, painkillers. Nothing worse than any of those on a flight

As far as getting to the airport, it depends how far away you are, for Heathrow(2 hours from me) I aim for 3 hours by car or longer for public transport, for my local airport 25 minutes away if being dropped I aim for 2 hours but I will have monitored the traffic and it’s on country lanes. 2 hours is the recommended minimum

I'll do 3 hours 😭

Is there a mcdonalds after we go through check in and customs? 👀 at Heathrow

Checked in online and selected our seats.

Exhausting. The night before flight are the worst.

declutter entire wardrobe just to find pieces I want to take with me
declutter entire office to - for powerpack, headphones, antiseptic wipes, etc
charge phone, camera, etc
declutter fridge - to see if any can be given to friend before it goes waste
declutter kids' wardrobes
declutter kids' educational materials
declutter bathroom to see what toiletry and skincare to take
declutter medicine cabinet
empty handbag and only add in essential things (leave out office pass)
print board passes
empty bins
make sure no dirty dishes
check for traffic
make sure electric car is ok
make house is secure (all windows locked, heating is off (if not during freezing winter), check anti burglar devices
refillable bottle of water
check again that neck cushion is with me (can't be without it)
shawls/coat that can be used as blanket
mindless phone game that can play offline just in case

If eSIms are not sorted already, check roaming data on your phone and that spending limit is not set at 0 (either use roaming or check VPN is working in case you are in China and can't access bugger all to do with google and gmail/whatsapp/etc - but had one Chinese airport that didn't block these)

Sit on the way to airport like Kevin's mother and fret what I have missed/not packed.

Take photos of all docs and email to yourself.

Check your phone contract as international
roaming charges are £££££ if not included in your contract!
it depends on the airport, our local one is fairly
small and i’d go no more than 2hours before an International flight with hold luggage, but somewhere bigger like MAN or LHR and I’d go 2.5-3hours. It also depends on your journey time to get there. I’m fairly complacent about such things as I’m 20min drive
to the airport but from further away I’d allow more time
for any hold ups.

List of things that can only be packed last minute (mobile, charger, glasses, hairbrush, any snacks to be taken from the fridge, anything to be put in the freezer if not finished, etc.).

Turn off appliances (except fridge/freezer, obvs.).

Check travel arrangements to the airport.

Oh this thread is making me anxious! I'm also off to NYC in just over a week's time and here's all of the things still to do:
Make sure I have warm enough clothes for everyone, buy whats needed
Think about which suitcases to bring
Finish buying presents for everyone
Start buying presents for some!
Wrap presents
Find passport
Pack
Wade through the shit tonnes of work I still have to get through
Attend 2 Christmas concerts (kids)
Visit MIL in care home

And we're away this weekend. I wish I was an organized mum like you all 😭

Made a checklist on my phone for anything not in the luggage or totally essential that I'll have to ensure I have with me/pack last thing (eg chargers, coats, documents). Then I can check it off at the door even if half asleep!

Oh God and I'm also having a bloody kids party, forgot that 😭😭

Booked Meet and Greet parking.

Silly OP. You want a Spoons. Of which there is always one.

Have you done your ESTA??

As you are flying BA from LHR, I will assume you are going from T5, there is no McD but there is a Five Guys. They have the new scanners so you can take more than 100ml, and don't have to faff about taking it all out your bag at security. But you can't have liquid in a thermos or metal water bottle. Plastic ones are fine.

I still take empty bottles and fill up in one of the water stations once through, I just drink water so no squash needed.

3 hours is fine and you can't drop your bag off before that usually.

How are you getting to the airport?

Haven't been to NY in years, but I have been in the winter, and it was very cold.

Photo of picture page of my passport taken on my phone.
Any visa docs saved to phone.
Double check online boarding pass; screensaved.
Everything packed including everything that's going in carry-on.
One last weigh of large bags.
House key in carry on.

@newyorknewyorkforevernewyork Make dc pack their own little backbag with their favourite books and toys. You need books and toys. And a lot of snacks.change of clothes in hand luggage for both of you. I always carry birth certificates. Their sleepy toy too if they have a favourite. (as long as you dont leave it behind in NY)

I’m pretty sure you’ll need an eSIM for the USA, OP. It’s not like roaming within Europe. Easily sorted though. Have a fab time - I’m going in Feb and can’t wait!

Call your bank and CC company to tell them your dates of travel.

😭😭 with a dc who only eats french fries?

I'm American so I don't need to. I keep telling myself it's just a trip to my mom's house, nothing to stress over 😬

What the OP said

If you're my husband you will wonder at about 11pm if you should do some laundry.
Early the next morning you would be travelling to the airport and inform me that you left it in the machine and have no underwear packed.

Three hours for a trans oceanic flight.

Take photos of your printed docs.

Pack the docs in your hand luggage.

Bring hand sanitiser.